Spring motor



March 9 1926.

W. D. LA RUE SPRING MOTOR Filed May 14, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I II II nvvE/YTGE Will/1 0777,. Z762 ue. W

March 9 1926. 1,575,695

w. D. LA RUE SPRING MOTOR Filed May 14, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVE/VI'OI? mil/mm D. la Fae Patented Mar. 9, 192 s.

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'srnmem'ron To all whom it may 0011 06171 Be it known that I,Wn.1.mn' D. LA RUE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have in-' vented certain new and useful Improvements in Sprin Motors, of. which the following is a ful', clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.-

My invention relates to improvements in spring motors and particularly those of the multiple-spring type, such as shown and described in Letters Patent No. 1,384,426, to I. F. Burton, and has for one of its objects to provide a simple and eflicient construc tion in which the parts may be readily assembled or separated as desired and in danger usually involved when a spring m coiled condition is inserted into or removed from the sprin barrel.

A further 0 ject of the invention is to provide a motor in which a air of coiled springs are mounted side by s1de in a single retaining ring or annular carrier whereby to form a ower unit which as a whole may .be inserted into or withdrawn from the spring barrel.

A still further objectof the invention is to provide improved lubricatin means permitting free circulation of t e lubricant within the spring barrel and through the springs during the operation of the motor, means beingalso provided to confine the lubricant to prevent itrfrom working out of the barrel. Y

My invention further includes all of the various other novel objects and features of construction and arrangement hereinafter specified. v

In thejaccompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment of the invention, and in which similar letters of reference are used to indicate similar parts,

Fig.1"s a longitudinal section, partly in elevation, of the motor;

1mm. m1 1n; 14, 1014'. Serial in. 713,141.

' Fig. is a transverse sectional viewtaken on the. hne 2- 2 of Fig; 1;

Flg. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4. is a longitudinal section, partly in elevation, similar to Fig. 1 but showing the springs wound tightly within the barrel;

Fig. .5 1s a transverse sectional view taken supported. The shaft is removably held in position in the bearings by a set screw, 5.

Mounted on this shaft between the brackets is a spring barrel, having a cylindrical body portion, 6, and a. closed end, 7, and open at the other end so that it is substantially cup-shaped. Snugly fitting within and closing the open end of the barrel is a cap plate, 8, normally held against withdrawal by a split ring, 9, engaging a groove, 10, formed in the inner surface of the barrel adjacent the open end thereof.

Centrally disposed in the closed end, 7 and the cap plate, 8, of the spring barrel are aligned bushings, 11, in which are journaled two sleeves, 12 and 13, positioned within the spring barrel and rotatably mounted upon the shaft 4. At their remote ends these sleeves project outwardly beyond the respective bushings, 11. A winding gear, 14, and a ratchet-wheel, 15, are fixed on the outer end of the sleeve, 12, the former constituting a part of winding, mechanism, 16, suitably mounted in. the motor frame, and the latter being engaged by the usual pawl, 17, also earned by the motor frame. On the outer end of the sleeve, 13, is keyed or otherwise rigidly secured a driving gear, 18, through which the power of the motor is applied.

A pair of oppositely wound coiled springs, 19 and 20, are arranged side by side within the spring barrel, and surround the sleeves, 12 and 13 respectively. The inner ends of the springs, 19 and 20, are crimped or ofi'set as indicated at 21 and 22, respectively, to engage with shoulders, 23 and 24, formed by longitudinal grooves, and 26, in the peripheries of the sleeves, 12 and 13'. The shoulders, 23 a'nd'24, facein opposite circular directions inasmuch as the springs are oppositely wound.

face of the spring barrel, wherebyto sup-.

port the retaining ring within the barrel and in concentric relation thereto with its peri hery spaced from the bod portion, 6, of the barrel. By means of t construction an annular channel is formed around the periphery of the ring, and in the-assembled position of the parts an annular chamber, 29, is provided between the barrel, the retaining rm and the two flanges, 28. The outer ends 0 the springs, 19 and 20, are formed with hooks, and 31 respectively, engaged with elongated slots, 32 and 33, extending through the retaining ring, the outer ends of the hooks projecting beyond and overlapping the periphery of the retaining'ring and being housed within the annular chamber, 29. The two springs are kept out of contact by means of a separating plate, 34, interposed between the same and between the inner ends of the sleeves, 1 2' and 13, and fitting within the retaming ring.

The annular chamber, 29, serves as a reservoir for ease and other lubricant. .A plurality o openings, 35, extend through the retaining ring opposite the respective springs, the said openings opposite each spring together with the corresponding slot for the outer end of such spring constituting a series of lubricating passages for the free flow of lubricant back and forth between the interior of the retaining ring and the annular chamber, 29. The two series of such passages are arranged on opposite sides of the separating plate, 34, and preferably in staggered" relation to each other. It is to be noted that the flange, 28, adjacent the cap plate, 8, tends to confine the lubricantand prevent it from working out of the barrel.

In the operation of the motor, when the winding mechanism, 16, is actuated in the usual manner, the sleeve 12-is rotated on the shaft 4 in the direction indicated by the arrow (see Fig. 3) and winds the spring, 19, from its inner end until it is fully tensioned, the continued winding serving to rotate the retaining ring (in the direction, in dicated by the arrows in Figs. 2 and 3), which thus winds the spring, 20, from its outer end and around its sleeve, 13, until the springs assume substantially the position illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. The. power thus stored up is applied through the drivtate by the sleeve, 13, in the direction indicated by the arrow (see Fig. 5), the spring,

20, unwinding from its inner end'and the ing dgear, 18, which, when released, is ro-' other parts rotating as before described,

except in the reverse order, until both springs have run down. In the winding and unwinding of the springs, the lubricant passes freely back and forth through the e the parts of the motor to be readily separated, as for purposes of repair. By loos- The construction above described permits ening the set screws, 5, and withdrawing the shaft, 4, from its bearings, 3, the spring barrel'is released from the frame and from its position between the bracket arms, 2. The sleeves, 12 and 13, are then withdrawn longitudinally through their respective bearings, 11, the grooves, 25 and 26, permitting this free longitudinal movement of the sleeves and efi'ecting the disengagement thereof from the offset inner ends of the springs. By removing the split ring, '9, the cap plate, 8, is released and may be withdrawn from the open end of the spring barrel, whereupon the retaining ring, 27, and the springs, 19 and 20, mounted therein may be withdrawn as a unit from the barrel and the springs thus removed from operative position therein. without the difliculty and danger usually encountered in that operation through the likelihood of one of the coiled springs getting loose.

In my construction, the springs are safely housed within the retaining ring which holds them effectually in check when they are" withdrawn from the barrel, and the retaining ring, with the springs mounted therein, constitutes a power unit which as a whole is introduced into or withdrawn from the barrel as occasion requires. If one of the springs should become broken, say the spring adj acentthe closed end of the barrel, it is not necessary, as in certain other constructions, to first remove the outerspring and separately remove the broken inner spring and replace it by a new one and then reassemble the outer spring, all of which requires skilled labor and cannot be 1clonveniently accomplished in the private ome.

Nor is it necessary to replace the is open and unobstructed at both ends, thus afl'ording free access to the springs when the power unit is removed from the motor. Furthermore, in the original assembly or disassembly of the power unit, the springs may be readily inserted or removed through the respective open ends of the ring, thus materially facilitating that operation. 'l-he retaining ring itself isof' simple construction, an is susceptible of being easily and cheaply manufactured.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined in theap-pended claims.

Having 'thus described my invention, I

claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent. "m at oneend, a retaining ringwithin said of the United States:

1. In a spring motor av spring barrel, a power unit mounted within said barrel, with an annular reservior for lubricant interposed between said unit and said barrel, and means establishing communication between said reservoir and the interior of the unit.

2. In a spring motor, a s'pringbarrel, a retaining ring within said barrel and s aoed therefrom to provide an interposed 0 amber for lubricant, and a spring mounted within said ring, the ring being formed with a passage for lubricant communicating with said chamber and with the interior of the In a spring motor, a spring barrel, a retaining ring within said barrel and spaced therefrom to provide an interposed chamber for lubricant, and a spring mounted within said ring, the ring being formed with a series of lubricatin passages communi cati'ng with said cham er and with the interior ofthe ring adjacent said spring.

4. In a spring motor, a vspring bar el. a retaining ring wthin said barrel and having s aced outstanding flan s bearing against t e inner surface of thefii arrel and forming an annular chamber interposed between the ring and the barrel, and a spring within said retaining ring, the ring being formed with an opening therethrough between said 5 flanges and communicating with said chamber and the interior of the ring.

5. In a spring motor, a spring barrel, a retaining ring rotatable within and independently of said barrel and spaced therefrom to provide an interposed chamber for lubricant, said ring being formed with an opening through the periphery thereof, and a spring mounted within said ring provided at one end with a hook engaged throu 11 said opening and projecting into said 0 amber. I

barrel, a

6. In a spring motor, a sprin arrel and power unit mounted within said spaced therefrom to provide an interposed 9 chamber for lubricant, one of said arts be-. ing rotatable relatively to the ot er, and means within said chamber and carried by said relatively rotatable part, for stirring the lubricant.

7. In a spring motor, a spring barrel open barrel and spaced therefrom to provide an mounted within the retaining ring, sai

ring being provided adjacent the open end of the barrel with an outstanding peri heral flange for confining the lubricant, an a removable cap plate for closing the open end of the barre I 8. A power unit for spring motors, com prising a retaining rin provided on its eriphery with an annu ar channel for luricant, and a spring mounted within said ring, the ring being formed with an .opening through its peri hery communicating with said channel an said ring.

9. A power unit for spring motors, comprising a retaining ring formed at its op- 5 posite ends with outstanding flanges, and a pair of springs mounted within said ring, the ring being formed between said flanges with openings through its periphery com municating with the interior of the ring adiacent the res tive s rings.

n testimony w ereof, have signed my name to this s ecification. V a

- D. LA. RUE.

with the interior of 

